Mrs. Meckley

Okay, I had this BIG long post typed up about how great the wedding was. And then it got deleted. Back to the drawing board!

October 12, 2013, was a pretty great day. I'd been waiting to marry Josh for 7 years and 9 months, so to say that I'd been looking forward to this day was an understatement. (Well, technically, I'd wanted to marry him since I first saw him back when I was in 8th grade. But who's counting)? I stayed the night with my MOH Alex and some of our Omaha friends before the wedding and it was so great to wake up with her at 7:30 in the morning and have someone there to hug and be just as excited as I was. Colette made some killer breakfast food, so we all got to sit around, eat a little and laugh before heading up to the salon to get hair and make-up done!

After hair and make-up, Danielle, Lindsay, Alex and I piled into Alex's car and headed towards the church. Josh and I were going to do a first look, but before that we had written each other letters and let me tell you, Josh blew mine out of the water! He not only wrote me an amazing letter, but he gave me back the FIRST letter I ever mailed him back when we first started dating and I was still living at Central. Josh is honestly my soul mate and I don't think I'll ever find someone to willing love me as much as he does. Seeing Josh for the first time after that was probably the most nervous I had been all day! My heart was pounding when I saw him standing there, ah! It was perfect though and I'm glad we decided to do the first glance instead of wait to see each other walking down the aisle, mostly because I can't even tell you what I looked at while I walked down the aisle haha.

The ceremony was beautiful and we played "Making Memories of Us" by Keith Urban while we did our hourglass ceremony. Kind of like a sand ceremony, only you pour the sand into an hourglass and then every year on your anniversary you flip the hourglass. It's made to show your lives intertwining more with all the years that pass.

The reception was so fun, and I was so humbled by the amount of people who showed up to celebrate our love! Our first dance was "Hypnotize the Moon" by Clay Walker, since we wanted something a little less traditional. I ordered purple uplighting and put it around the reception hall and behind us for a backdrop and I absolutely LOVE the impact it made! So pretty! I was in love with our reception once it was finished and I feel like I look at pictures of that so much more often than I thought I would. :)

On Monday we headed out to Nassau, Bahamas, where we stayed at the Sandals Royal Bahamian. It was so much fun! The people in the Bahamas are great and the food was super delicious too (I developed a love of conch fritters!). We swam with dolphins, went to the straw market, snorkeled (my first time!), and just had a lot of fun together. It was nice to just spend time the two of us since it seemed like that never happened with all the wedding stuff and my MS classes. I was glad to be home though and getting back into the swing of things has been fun. Now just looking forward to Christmas! :)

I still love seeing my new name and signing for it. It's been an adventure at school because I still get a lot of "Miss Kauer's", but to me it's kind of weird to hear "Mrs. Meckley". I've even gotten a few "Miss Kauuu-ley" haha. They've been fun. Okay, now I'll stop and post pics!

First look

Love this pic before the ceremony!

Ceremony

Mr. & Mrs. Meckley!

The sun was setting when we took pictures and it was perfect!

One of my favorite pictures

Reception Pictures:

One of the five different centerpieces & some uplighting!

Lindsay & Me

First day as Mr. & Mrs.!

Wedding time.

Today is my wedding day. I'm so happy and excited to marry my best friend. I can't wait to begin this new journey as Mrs!

ONE MONTH. ONE MONTH. ONE MONTH!

Well, we're almost here. And I should probably put a warning label on: I'm sorry for anyone who has to talk to me, socialize with me, or work with me for the next 28 days. Josh and my mom have already gotten the short stick on a few things, and I do feel like I'm starting to feel the pressure. I won't lie though - I am SO happy and blessed that so many people have stepped up and helped throughout this whole thing and the only thing left is simple/easy things to take care. However, between the wedding, getting assignments done for my Master's before we leave, teaching, learning a new grade book (mid-terms are next week!), grading papers, Standards Based Grading, Homecoming next week, I've just been a little on edge. It just all seems to be crashing down at this point in time and I'm starting to get on edge. I have a good list of things on the "to-do" list, but they're easy things that we can tackle. Then it'll be time to just sit back, relax, and enjoy a life as Mr. & Mrs. :)

As I stated above, those are all the things I've been busy with. Next weekend I'm heading to Omaha to have a bridal shower, so it seems like that will take a weekend away from doing some wedding things. I know that the next month will FLY by, so I'm trying to savor it. Weird to think that in a month I won't be "Rachel KAUER" any more, but "Rachel Meckley". It kind of changes your identity a bit. I've been staring at my signature on my checks a little bit longer and longingly looking at "R.L.K." I'll always be Rachel Kauer, but it is a weird thing to think about.

I really don't have much other to report on, other than the upcoming wedding. The weather cooled off today, after an entire week of early outs due to heat, and then an extra one last week. Right now the Accuweather report says 71 and sunny on the day of the wedding! Can't wait! xoxo

2.

Is it really only TWO months until the wedding?? TWO?? I've been waiting 7 1/2 years for this and I can't believe we're only two months away. I know that everything is in order, but it just seems like I might be forgetting something...but surely that WON'T happen. I am starting to have some of those sleepless nights where I think about every thing, but I am pretty positive we have it all worked out. It will all be okay, I just have to keep telling myself that. As it gets closer it will be a lot better, and it's all already put together and ready to roll. I can't wait! We even bought wedding bands last weekend...one more thing off the list!

It's that time again...Iowa State Fair time and school starts! I officially start "teacher" days tomorrow-Thursday and then open house on Thursday. Josh and I went to the fair on Saturday then we're going to go tomorrow night with friends and maybe one more time, we just love it so much! School officially starts on Monday the 19th with the kids coming back. I've said it before, but I really do love Fall and the Fall semester. It's my absolute favorite and the kids are so much fun. Come January we're all a little grouchy, so I love being excited to go back. :)

Vegas was a BLAST!! We had SO much fun and if you asked me, I'd say we had more fun than the boys. It was great and I love all the girls that have been by my side! Four of us got there Thursday and got ready then met the boys and went out for dinner then went out a bit. Friday we went to the pool all day, then to The Bank and Lily clubs at Bellagio. Saturday we went to the pool all day again and got a private cabana all to ourselves - SO. MUCH. FUN. The pool was great and the people were awesome. Then Saturday night we went to Hunk Mansion and it was literally the highlight of the whole trip. We LOVED it! So much fun and so much laughs. It was just a great vacation and I loved every second of it. Then we came home and I went to the Taylor Swift concert (which was, of course, AWESOME), then had my bridal shower and we were literally spoiled! I JUST finished putting it all away and set up our wall with all of our engagement photos..just waiting for those wedding photos to get up. :)

On the Master's side, I start two more courses this semester and then next semester I'll be starting my actual school counseling practicums...yay! So much closer! I am excited to become a counselor and I'm hoping that they'll let me do my internship at CM since I know the kids already and it will be a great place to start. So much closer to finishing my MA, becoming a counselor, and I'm ALMOST a Meckley. So much to look forward to! <3

Am I Crazy Yet??

Seriously...am I crazy yet? If you ask Josh, yes. I have been on full blown wedding mode since...well, technically, since he proposed September 30, 2012. It just seems like it never ends. It seems that every month, there's something else to do and, more frequently, something else to buy. I've started to slightly "freak" a bit when it comes to ordering things online because I do not want to wait with them until the last minute in case something were to happen and it's not here for the wedding. Case in point, I've been putting so much on our wedding CC the past month (that and I'm pretty bored during the day heehhh), and I had knocked most of it down throughout the year. Thank God we have some pretty awesome support systems, and especially my mom. She's really helped me out as much as she can, more than she should have, and Josh and I are so thankful. Her and I knocked out basically every thing that needed to be done in the past week, and really the only thing left to do is buy the cardstock for the programs, print them, and assemble them and it's all finished and ready for the big day. I've been so confused because people said, "Oh, you are so busy at first, then there's a time where you do nothing, and then you're busy again." I honestly don't think that moment of "doing nothing" ever came. I felt as if I was constantly breaking things down monthly and budgeting it all in. I will all pay off and I'm so excited for this wedding and to become Mrs. Meckely but seriously, girl needs a break.

Thankfully, that break will come this week. My girlfriends and I (and Josh and his friends) are all heading to Vegas to celebrate our bachelorette/bachelor parties, respectively. We're staying at different hotels, but all heading out for the same weekend. I am pretty pumped and I know my MOH Alex has been so pumped and done such an awesome job planning it. I can't wait!! It will be so nice to just get out with the girls...I need it. Need it so bad. Then come home and send out invites and HOPE for all the RSVPs to get back.

Okay, to get away from wedding talk, here's some sentence finishers I saw online - enjoy my sweet thoughts!

If I had one extra hour in the day... Right now I have all the time in the day! I suppose I would...well, I'd like to say I would work on that Master's paper I should be working on right now, but I'd probably be surfing the internet.

I wish my name... was Rachel Meckley right now! Okay, but really, I love my name. Wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

I think anything chevron is... I'm over it. I never got into it too much and although I do think it's a neat pattern, I'm so tired of seeing it EVERY WHERE. And as I've said before, I honestly think we'll look back on it one day and think, "Why did I spend so much money on THAT design??"

My last nightmare... wedding nightmares. Errrry day. Actually, I haven't been sleeping well lately so I suppose you could say every night has been a nightmare lately.

Sometimes... I complain too much about how blessed I am. Seriously, I need to stop. I live the good life and I need to open my eyes more often to it. Also, I need to stop letting my green-eyed monster come out at times. I'm trying - not perfect!

My last meal on earth would be... ahhh...fair corndogs. And Olive Garden.

I would much rather... be in bed right now. I'm getting sleepy! And I'd much rather it be Thursday at 2p.m...get me on that plane!

Mayonnaise... I don't mind it. By far not my favorite condiment, but I won't complain if it's on my sandy.

10 years ago, I didn't think... 16? Oh gosh. I didn't think much at all period. If I could write a letter to 16 year-old me, it would include letting go of that old boyfriend, spending more time with my friends and just plain living freaking life. All of you 16 year-olds, DO IT. NOW.

Selfishly... I go to the pool more times than I tell Josh. Nothing beats a "me" day where I eat lunch on my own, take a good book, and spend the rest of the afternoon by the pool. I feel bad that Josh is working his ass off in the heat most days so I don't tell him, but having some sanity days between this wedding and getting my Master's, I need some me days, and spending them at the pool is the best.

My favorite show on TV right now... Say Yes to The Dress. Always love it, even though I have the most beautiful dress in the world. I also enjoy some Catfish and Dateline.

And, George Zimmerman... should have at least been charged with manslaughter. You cannot deny race when you don't experience it every day (and I don't. Because I'm white.) Race isn't separated for the race that is still being discriminated against. However, only two people know the real story, and we'll never know the other side.

BED. 2 1/2 months left! xoxo

Great Website!

After all the weddings lately (which I'll post in my next post) it's really got me geared up for my wedding. Josh is so relieved to have his best man job over for Jordan & Sarah's wedding, and now feels like he can start focusing on our wedding. I have absolutely LOVED being a part of all of the weddings so far, and to go to a few more this summer. Once I get done at the wedding though, the next day (amid a small hangover), I want to get going on all of my own wedding things!

On my to-do-list for next month was to order Josh's wedding ring. Now, mind you, I've had a REALLY hard time wrapping my mind around dropping $300+ on a ring that, let's face it, Josh isn't going to wear. Because he's a mechanic, I don't want him wearing at work, because he could obviously scratch it, but mostly because if his finger gets caught on something it could rip his entire finger off. We have talked about it, and we both agree that unless we're going out and doing something, he probably won't wear it that often. That's why, when I was surfing around online, I found this great website, Larson Jewelers. They have all of the rings I had looked at in the big jewelry stores, at GREAT prices! AND they also engrave, which was something I wanted done as well! I went ahead and ordered his ring today because I was so excited AND they were running a great summer deal! Plus, shipping was free!! I'll post a picture once I get it, but it should be here by Wednesday and rumor is they ship with a sweet ring box. ;) If you or someone else you know is getting married soon and you're in the same boat, I highly suggest ordering though them!


Tungsten Wedding Bands

Someone is Slacking

Gah. I know, I know. No updates in, what, two months? I check in on friends' posts from time-to-time, but couldn't ever catch a break to update my own. Track finished up and the weather was SUPER crappy. It was more like winter than spring the entire time and we were only able to get 4 meets in, and 3 were regular season. It even snowed on May 3rd! It wasn't that nice out and the weather was absolutely terrible through most of April/May. It's just now starting to warm up, after a LOT of rain. Blah.

I've been trudging along on the wedding. For the most part, most of it is planned, paid for, and ready for the big day. I just have some little things to get done and some lose ends to tie up. I'm glad I'm getting it all out of the way and have been doing it a little bit at a time. I won't lie when I say that honestly though, I'm tired of spending money on it. I'll be happy not having to think about what I need to buy next month for the wedding or if something is in the budget. I'll just be freaking happy it's DONE. I'm honestly ready for the big day to be here, but even more excited for October 13, when I'm just Mrs. Meckley and we can start enjoying life being married. Yeah...that will be nice.

Danielle and Jake got married a few weeks ago, and it was a really great wedding/reception. I was so happy to be apart of their special day, and it was even more exciting because I was planning my own wedding. Jordan & Sarah are getting married this weekend and Josh is the best man so he's been preparing that speech like crazy! He's ready for it to be here so he can get his speech behind him and get to celebrating. He's been stressing about it, ha.

On a sadder note, we had to put my parent's dog Angel down this past week. She was 13-years-old, but it doesn't make it any easier. So hard to lose a pet when they've been with you for so long and are like family. She'll be missed, but I know she's up chasing squirrels with Lacey on Rainbow Bridge. <3

And FINALLY...we got some of our engagement pictures done! It was up in the air because the weather was so crappy lately, but we managed to sneak in a session with Melissa @ Fairy Tale Photography and it was GREAT! LOVE them (I've already ordered several copies and even had one aluminized haha). Here's a few of my favorites (and Josh even agreed to get a few with the puppies! YAY!)

I'll try to get a few more sporadic posts in here leading up to the wedding! I'm taking two more Drake classes this summer so trying to get through that as well. :)

I've Never Been This Busy

Gah. Where has the time gone? I think that for the most part, things just keep being crazy and hectic and I have no time to breathe. Track started and it just seems like every night I am exhausted so I come home and sleep. As my Drake classes are winding down, it's hard to find time between all the papers and projects. Wedding planning is kind of at the point where there's nothing to really "plan" but plenty of things to buy! We really have everything knocked out...now I'm just ready for summer so I can start putting my invites together! We got the materials in the mail the other day, and Laura sent me something to get me started, so they're coming together and it's EXACTLY what I wanted! I've never been so happy with them! I will post a pic after we send some out; don't want to spoil the surprise ;)

Yesterday was my 26th birthday and I think it's actually safe to say it has been the best one yet. I loved my birthdays like 21, 22, 23 etc where we all went out to the bars and what not, but honestly, just the intimate, close birthday that I had this year was breathtaking. Josh and I had talked about him not getting me a present because he was paying off my ring this month, and honestly, that's the only present I need! But we wanted to do something to celebrate anyway, so last weekend we went out to eat and went and saw Jurassic Park in 3D (I LOVE dinosaurs! And about a month ago we went and saw Sue the T-Rex at the Science Center, so cool!). On Monday he said he was going to pick me up a card, but ended up surprising me with a cake and candles as well! Then on my birthday we went out to Ge-Angelos (my new favorite restaurant!) and it was honestly just so great. I will be the first person to admit that ever since Josh & I got engaged, I love him even more, and I actually feel like he loves me even more. I lucked out tremendously with this guy; he's amazing and I can't believe I'm honestly marrying my best friend in 6 short months!
birthday cake

New shoes! LOVE them!


To avoid sounding so sappy we'll move on to more things. It has rained buckets here and hasn't gotten above 50 degrees the past two weeks or so. We've only gotten in one track meet the entire season and out of the 7 meets we normally go to, we'll only be able to attend 5 (that's if none of the rest of them get cancelled after this!). It's made for a VERY. LONG. SEASON. I do really enjoy track, but I'm definitely a fair weather fan and this weather...sucks. Ugh. Come on 70 degree weather!

Not much else - we've done the standard things over the past few months. My friend Danielle had her bachelorette/bachelor party over St. Patrick's Day and it was a lot of fun! Probably the most traumatic thing that's happened is that we took Taytum to the groomer's over Easter break and she came back....hairless. Literally. They shaved her hair off! I couldn't believe a "groomer" would even consider puppy cutting a Sheltie. Her beautiful, beautiful hair that had been growing for over 7 years. I cried. Josh was so upset. My mom was really upset. It was traumatic to say the least. It's been almost a month now and it still hasn't grown back much...but we're used to it. She's been pretty chilly lately though!
The future Mr. & Mrs. Meckley for St. Paddy's Day!

Taytum before & after :(


Only 5 weeks left of school! So ready for summer! Not that I don't have a great bunch of students, I'm just excited because once summer hits I feel like we'll be getting so much closer to wedding and honeymoon and becoming Mrs. Meckley! YAY! :) Fingers crossed for warmer weather. Where the heck is this "In like a lion out like a lamb??" We're having lion only weather! Come on May!

End of February

Hello again! Seems like it's been so long, but it seems like the weeks just fly by. Pretty soon track will start and I won't have time to breathe. March is coming up though, and then only a few more weeks until summer break. I really cannot wait for summer break - not because I'm tired of my job or the students, but because it just means I'm so much closer to marrying my best friend. It's all starting to come together; really just a few lose ends to tie up. I am getting more and more excited as the days go by. It will be here before we know it! There could also be some changes that could be coming our way; I will keep everyone updated!

So backing up a few weeks, we've been busy on the weekends as well. A few weekends ago it was Alex's birthday, but she wasn't planning anything because she was having a big birthday party the weekend after. We'd been e-mailing and she was kind of bummed out about a few things, so she wasn't expecting anything. My friend Rachel and I though drove to Omaha and ended up surprising her when she least expected it! We actually had her roommate Robbie talk her into meeting him at the bar and then when she showed up we jumped up from behind the bar with balloons and surprised the crap out of her! She was really happy and we all ended up going to dinner and had a night out. It was a really fun, needed time. Then the weekend after Alex and her friends came back to Des Moines and rented a bus and we drove around to various bars for the night. It was two back-to-back weekends of fun!

That's kind of the most excitement we've had. Josh got tickets from me for Baconfest for Christmas so he went there the weekend I had Alex's birthday. I think from all the guy stories I heard, they had fun! Now we're gearing up for some weddings starting in May and getting ready for spring! Although the meteorologists predicted an inch of snow...and we ended up with about 8"! So hopefully it warms up soon!

And anyone wanting to keep up on our wedding activities, you can visit our website: http://meckleykauer.ourwedding.com to see registries, ceremony, reception, etc. Sign the guestbook if you'd like, too. :) Stay warm!

Snow Day Catch Up

What a better day to catch everyone up on up-to-date things than the third snow day of the year! (does anyone even want to catch up anymore??) I took a J-Term class for my Master's, which basically just means it was a semester class condensed into two weeks. Talk about crazy! A lot to do, a lot of class time, and out of class time (even going and doing sessions all day Sundays). Needless to say, I'm pretty happy that class is over, although my spring semester classes start this week. It's definitely worth it; I'm so excited on this journey of becoming a school counselor, and I've actually learned so much about myself as well along the way! Really eye opening - I love it.

Well, the big thing I've been doing has obviously been doing as much wedding planning as I can. I am getting so excited, and I've been "on the ball" for just about everything. People say there's a time where you don't really have "much to do so you sit around" but I haven't done that yet. I've been planning, designing, and ordering every month. I'm down to the little details now, but I'm still doing those whenever I can. I know you don't send out invitations until three months before the date, but I'm already on the ball getting the help from the great Laura at Sometimes Crafty so I can get them all put together and they're ready to head out in July. We are putting the final touches on chair covers and things. I've been getting a lot of great things for centerpieces as well. The only thing kind of daunting at this point, is decorating the reception place. I'll need a backdrop and some things for the side walls. Not sure what to do...but hopefully some great crafty people will help when the time comes!

Everything has been going so fast, and pretty soon it will be track season I'm sure. Not sure when I'll have time to breathe once track starts...but hopefully that means it will fly by and then it'll be May! I feel like once May gets here I'll be able to breathe easy and coast through the summer doing more wedding things. :)

Nothing much else to post I guess. On one last note, if you haven't had the chance to read If You Get There Before I Do by David Hoeksema, please do. Kjrsten was a freshman when I was a senior in Baxter, and I can remember the next morning find out the horrible news that she had been killed in an accident. I can remember seeing her in the halls and thinking, "What a quiet girl, but she has the most beautiful hair and eyes." I wish I would have gotten to know her more, but through the book I do feel like I learned more about her. On top of knowing and sharing Kjrsten's story, it's also an amazing story of faith and the power of our Savior. I have this deep want now to know my Lord in a deeper way, and be able to find comfort when loved ones pass on that I know exactly where they're going. I do believe in Jesus Christ and Heaven, but I just have this want to really KNOW Him after reading this book. Their story of hope, faith, and forgiveness is so inspiring. Please read! Enjoy the winter weather still and stay safe! :)

WOW!

Wow...I'm just not sure where the time went! It seems like you get one second to breathe and "poof" it's gone! We've just been so busy since the last post with holidays, Master's, wedding planning, teaching, etc., that there hasn't been enough time to actually post anything. I'll try to back-up as much as I can to catch everyone up to speed.

Thanksgiving was great for us! The usual great family time. It seemed like everything snuck up on us this year because it was so warm out. I got a few outside decorations up while it was nice outside, and after Christmas I bought a ton of lights to go outside because Josh said he'd hang some (he's getting softer in his old age). We, of course, are blessed and got a lot of great things for Christmas! I think Josh's favorite has been the TV I bought us. It was a great deal right before Christmas and I couldn't say no. :) Other than that, I had two snow days on the last two days of school so my break was an extra two days long this year - yay but I'm sure I'll think otherwise come the end of May.

My Master's classes have been very challenging and time consuming, but so full-filling. I love going to class and I love learning about new things. I've really enjoyed it and have put a lot of effort into it - I finished with a 4.0 my first semester! This time two years from now I'll be graduating and ready to become a school counselor; can't wait!

Wedding planning is coming a long. Again, we've had so much help and we're so blessed with all the love and support. I bought my dress and I am absolutely in LOVE with it. I saw it again at the Bridal fair this past weekend and I remembered how much I loved it. I can't wait to wear it. In two weeks I'm going bridesmaid shopping with the girls to get dresses for them. Not entirely sure what I want yet - will have to look once we get there. There isn't a whole lot left to do for the wedding; just little things. Even my centerpieces are coming along which is a relief! Now just to decorate...YAY! haha.

So that's basically it. Sorry no pictures - just trying to catch everyone up. Hope everyone else is doing well - I'm sure I'll post again about how fast time is flying. xoxo